FG, Delta State laud WAEC on fight against exam malpractice

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2 years ago

The Federal and Delta State governments, on Thursday, in Asaba, Delta State capital, commended the West African Examinations Council(WAEC) Nigeria on its fight against malpractice in its various examinations in the country, saying the effort is continued to make its certificates credible.

The Federal Government nominee and Chairman of the Nigeria National Committee of WAEC, Hajiya Binta Abdulkadir and the Governor of Delta State and deputy presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, gave the commendation separately at the opening ceremony of the 60th annual meeting of the Nigeria National Committee (NNC) of WAEC holding in Asaba.

NNC is the highest policy-making organ for WAEC Nigeria and constitutes of the nominees of the Federal Government, various state governments, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB), Nigerian Union of Teachers(NUT), Principals of secondary schools, universities, polytechnics and other stakeholders with members holding an annual meeting on a rotational basis across states of the federation and the federal capital territory.

Speaking further at the event, Okowa, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Patrick Ukah, said WAEC had over decades conducting credible examinations and impacting values in Nigerian children, noting that the contributions of the organisation to education development and efforts to stem the tide of examination malpractice in the country are huge and commendable.

He asked NNC and the management of WAEC not to rest on their oars in evolving more strategies and initiatives that would reduce to the barest minimum or eliminate completely the incidence of exam malpractice in the country.

He said the government on its part would continue to provide an enabling environment for pupils and students in both primary and secondary schools and also encourage parents to participate in the educational development of their children as quality education is the best legacy to give to any child.

While acknowledging that WAEC has remained a symbol of success in the promotion of quality education in Nigeria, Okowa advised the organisation to continue to embark on initiatives that would enhance its service delivery even as Delta State is ready to lend its support in initiatives geared towards improving such goal and also the sustenance of the integrity of its certificates.

In his welcome remark, the Head of the National Office of WAEC Nigeria, Mr Patrick Areghan, promised that WAEC would continue to conduct credible examinations across its three diets, namely: the May\June school-based and the two private editions in February\March and November\December.

He said the council would also continue to deploy new strategies particularly by using information and communication technology to run more effective systems in tandem with best global practices.

Areghan thanked the government and people of Delta State for hosting this year’s NNC meeting and also commended them for their contributions to education development in the state and Nigeria by extension.

He said Delta State is one of the states in the country that give due attention to education at all levels, urging it to do more.

A high point of the event was the presentation of various category awards to students, schools and members of staff of WAEC.

These were the distinction\merit awards presented to the best overall male and female candidates in the last school-based May\June WASSCE in the country; the best three schools in Delta State; the best overall public school in all subjects and also the best in science subjects, as well as the long service award to 12 staffers of WAEC.

While an 18-year old Edeani Izuchukwu Godswll of Air Force Comprehensive School, Agbani, Enugu State and who is now a medical and surgery student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka won as an overall best male candidate for the year, a 17- year-old Joan Whisky of the Federal Government College, Ikole- Ekiti won in the female category.

They both scored distinctions in all their eight subjects sat for in the exam and were rewarded with cash prizes and certificates of merit for their efforts.

While the Redeemer’s International High School, Asaba emerged winner of the school that produced the best aggregate results in the exam under consideration in the whole of Delta State, Royal College Ovwan and Our Lady of Nigeria Secondary School, Oghara, took the second and third position respectively in that category. And they were given books worth US$5, 000 altogether for their libraries as a reward for their efforts.

Similarly, Owaza Secondary School, Asa, Abia State won as the best public school in science subjects while Government Day Secondary School, Gurbin Bore, Zamfara State emerged as the best public school in all subjects in the country.

They were also both rewarded so as to encourage excellence and healthy competition among schools in the country.

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